standard Camera shootout: Lumia 950 XL vs. LG V10

8 Comments

DSC08522With the LG V10 and the Lumia 950 XL packing two of the most impressive cameras available on any phone today; it’s only worthy to see how these two compare against each other. The Lumia 950 Xl packs a larger 20 MP f/1.9 Pureview Zeiss lens, with OIS and a triple LED flash; the LG V10 on the other hand comes with a 16 MP f/1.8 lens, LG’s color spectrum sensor, and their incredibly fast laser autofocus.

So getting straight to it, below are some side-by-side shots from both phones (in auto settings), comparing them mostly in in-door situations and close-ups. The Lumia 950 XL in general is more “flash-happy” firing in any scenario where it’s almost needed, however thanks to the rich capture option, the Lumia 950 XL counteracts the triple LED flash nicely, giving a natural color to pictures, without over exposing them.

The LG V10 on the other hand, has a useful auto-HDR mode, that silently color corrects for proper white balance and exposure in outdoor and bright light shots, getting rid of those crude shadows and making the pictures look more appealing.

Below are almost the same shots taken side by side between the two phones, the Lumia 950 XL is the top picture, while the LG V10 is below (all photos are full resolution VERY LARGE!):

Lumia 950 XL:WP_20160102_21_57_57_Pro_LILG V10:20160102_215735

A slightly difficult subject to capture in a dark room, the Lumia 950 XL opted to ire the flash, while the LG V10 did without, overall the Lumia captures better colors and details, in both the rose stem and the granite counter-top; however the V 10 has more accurate color reproduction in this case; possibly due to the color spectrum sensor.

Lumia 950 XL:WP_20160102_22_00_28_Pro_LILG V10:20160102_220047

In this case it’s a much closer tie, with the flash firing on both phones, however the Lumia 950 XL seems to capture a bit more details at full zoom; especially on the guitar strings.

Lumia 950 XL:WP_20160102_21_58_51_Pro_LILG V10:20160102_215852

In this case the Lumia 950 XL’s triple LED flash and post capture processing makes a noticeable difference, toning down the reflection of the flash off the black, and giving it a more natural tone. Although both images look appealing in their own way, the V10’s flash does distort the white of the elephant’s tusks, and hide some of the details.

Lumia 950 XL:WP_20160102_22_02_22_Pro_LILG V10:20160102_220252

This shot is the opposite of others, where the Lumia 950 XL’s flash gives some pleasing and more vibrant colors, however the V10’s image, although less visually appealing is truer to the actual puzzle.

Lumia 950 XL:WP_20160106_13_34_39_Pro_LILG V10:20160106_133442

Finally (running short on imaging subjects), both photos have an insane amount of detail, with slightly varying degrees of exposure on the Oreo black, both yummy nonetheless).

Although it’s extremely difficult to make a call, in day-to-day usage both camera’s are outstanding; with speedy capture times from both devices and no noticeable lag. I would give the Lumia 950 XL the edge in every day shooting, giving realistic and eye pleasing results at the same time, bravo Microsoft.

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  • Indrek

    The first one is a clear win for the 950 XL. Colours can easily be tweaked afterwards, but the LG has completely blown out some of the highlights. Did that auto HDR not kick in or something?
    Also, did you use Rich Capture on the Lumia? Did you adjust the flash/no-flash balance afterwards? If so, where did you set it?

    • Yes, Rich capture was on; but the flash was set to auto, I didn’t tweak any of the pictures manually; i think the auto correction for the flash does a pretty great job on it’s own, without me messing with it.

  • Stylinred

    this was much closer than i imagined and really the opposite a i assumed the xl would be in a close 2nd, not edging lead

    • The Lumia 950 XL has some serious improvements in the camera sector, especially when it comes to capture to capture time (almost instant), and post processing correction.

  • that_guy

    The V10 looks a bit washed out in all the photos.

  • Dan Foster

    Mobile geeks sure doesn’t like the 950, wow. My Nokia questions is when the heck does Z Launcher come to all tablets? I’m thinking of buying a BlackBerry if Nokia doesn’t pick up pace. Any 10 would do since it reminds me of N9. BlackBerry 10 that is. Does anyone have any Nokia contacts anymore? I see Jays on strike in the U.K. All right Jay !! Hold those signs up, take down that government of Orwell.

  • lumberjake

    Interesting. The results are self explanitory but these are all very similar close shots.
    Not a lot of varying conditions unlike the other site which had its blind test revealing an overwhelming lead by the V10.
    Both have their own cool hardware with the Lumia’s greater pixel count Zeiss lens and fancy triple flash whereas the LG has its Lazer focus and colour meter.
    I am happy with my V10 and still think its the best even now.